


Corners of Stars

by rvziel



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, Some Fluff, Some angst, i've fallen and i can't give up, origami stars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-18
Updated: 2014-02-18
Packaged: 2018-01-12 21:36:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1201525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rvziel/pseuds/rvziel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He starts after Bianca dies.<br/>Nico recalls a small little snippet of information he’d gathered over time—<i>“Make a thousand paper stars, and you get one wish.”</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Corners of Stars

**Author's Note:**

> i do not own percy jackson or any lyrics used.  
> written for smallnico on tumblr aka my lovely neeks!!!!!

He starts after Bianca dies.

Nico recalls a small little snippet of information he’d gathered over time— _“Make a thousand paper stars, and you get one wish.”_

So after a few trial and errors, lots of paper thrown away, he finally makes a proper origami paper star. The young boy, grown older after recent events, rummaged around his bag and found a small container. He popped the little star, yellow in color, right in the container and went to grab another strip. He’d found some stress relief, finally. By the end of the night, he’d made well over a hundred stars.

+++++

As soon as he could lock himself away from the others long enough, he was back to making paper stars aboard the Argo II. 2,435 stars made in five years, and for every thousandth he made, the wish was written inside that star. Nico collected paper strips he could use to make them, keeping them in a box that nobody would be able to find. The jars were kept in his room in the underworld, and Persephone sometimes gave him paper he could use.

The tired teenager lit a match, taking it to the incense cone and shutting the burner, blowing out the match. He waited for the scent of Earth spirit to fill his nostrils, and pulled out the small box that contained all the paper he had. Picking one up, Nico began folding once again putting them in another jar and relighting incense after incense.

“I never knew you made origami,” a familiar voice called from behind, and Nico gave a quick glance.

“Well, it’s just a hobby,” Nico shrugged at his sister, popping another in the jar.

“Maybe your wishes will come true.”

Nico snorted a little, rolling his eyes.

“If only.”

+++++

The first thousandth he made, it was on the year anniversary of Bianca’s death.

He wrote inside the strip, _“I wish Bianca was alive and with me,”_ in Italian.

Wry hands popped the star in the jar, sealing it shut and putting it on the shelf.

+++++

Sometimes when he felt like sleeping, he just made paper stars.

One, two, three—twenty-nine, thirty.

Nico was far from weak, although he tended to shadow travel away from problems, he could handle more emotional shit that was thrown his way with a straight face better than most people. Maybe it was just the amount of training and growing up he’d done over the years of his life after finding out his father was a broody guy, and hey, “Yer a Demigod, Nico di Angelo.”

Demigod.

It was so common to hear now.

It was the only thing people recognized about him.

Son of Hades, Son of the Big Three.

Nico sighed and push the corners and looked at his count.

1,592.

+++++

He’s folding again after lying to Percy. Nico stopped for a little bit after life got kinda busy, but started picking it up slowly over the months. Hades said he can’t interfere, he had to lie. Had to lie. Lie lie lie lie lielielielielie.

It seems like his life is just a mess of those, to be honest.

The boy locked himself up for a few hours of solitary, feeling out of place after a little bit of time at Camp Jupiter ( _but when doesn’t he feel out of place?)_ that was required. He’d be out in a few days, anyways. Nico hummed a small tune playing from the stereo he had, something by Muse, and realizes he’s about to his two thousand.

He frantically searches for a pen, writing down on the strip of paper in Italian, _“I wish I would be trusted.”_

He folds it, and begins to hum again.

+++++

_Mama, we all go to hell._

_Mama, we all go to hell._

As he travels through Tartarus for the first time, the song seems so fitting.

He wishes he was folding again.

+++++

Three thousand stars.

He picks up the pen, perfect black ink, writing on the inside, _“I wish he loved me back.”_

Nico sighs and places another star in the jar, clicking his tongue and folding again. A small knock comes at the door, and Nico grunts in response to person wanting entrance. His space, not there’s. Wait, fuck, there’s really not a lot of space so everyone really kind of has right to every area—fuck, fuck, off track.

“Nico?”

Not you, no. He refuses.

“What is it Percy?”

“I just wanted to talk, is all,” Percy came to sit down. Nico would be leaving soon, anyways.

“You fold paper stars?”

“Yeah.”

“How many?”

“Three thousand and one.”

Percy picked up a strip and began folding, matching Nico’s pace. “My mom showed me how to do these when I was younger, so I’ve made quite a few. Sometimes whenever I feel homesick or something, I make them still. I think I’ve made over six thousand.”

Stop being so great, fucking shit.

“That’s cool,” Nico folded another and noticed Percy writing on a strip.

The little star Percy had folded was sea foam green and placed in his hand. “Take this, and whenever you feel down or alone, read it.”

Nico kept it inside his aviator pocket.

+++++

After the accidental confession to Percy, Nico was brooding in the underworld in his room. He did not want to deal with people, not with Jason, not with Hazel, and _not with the son of Poseidon._ Fuck being eighteen years old, he felt ten again and wanted Bianca back and for everything to not feel like it was crushing his lungs. Percy and Annabeth had been broken up for a year, but still, he couldn’t stick around for the reaction until he ran off.

Shrugging his jacket off, he noticed a small paper star fall out the jacket. Nico recalled the moment aboard the Argo II with Percy, and almost threw the star away, until better judgment decided he could unfold it.

Inside, written in Greek, were the words, _“I trust you, and I care about you—Percy”_

+++++

Four thousand stars.

Nico sits next to Percy, lying in his lap, writing in neat Italian like he’d begun nine years ago.

_“I wish these feelings never end.”_

“Four thousand?” Percy asks, placing a kiss on top of Nico’s head.

“Four thousand and—“ Nico drops one other sea foam green star into the last jar, sealing it for good. “One.”

 


End file.
